London Bound

The rumors are true, I wrapped the Twilio Conference last week and I’m off to London today for an extended business trip to explore the technology market in the UK and beyond. I hired Twilio’s first international employee — the incomparable Stevie Graham — over a month ago, and now its time to get back to where it all began for me and do some hands-on developer evangelism of my own. We’re also hiring for a 2nd developer evangelist in Europe, so if you are local and interested please let me know (this is a job for locals, not U.S. expats).

Last night we kicked things off with all thing stereotypically British: Jane Austen, the Beatles, everyone’s favorite Austen Powers quotes, and of course warm beer. My friend David also tolerated an impromptu dinner for 16 of us at his restaurant Triptych, where we sat on the patio and enjoyed being “loud Americans” for the night, complete with party games I haven’t played since I was a kid (MBF, Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare). It was quite a send off and I’m still recovering, but they tell me it is a good idea to break in my liver now.

I have a whirlwind tour of events scheduled ranging throughout Western Europe, and some surprises too! I am going to make every effort to blog frequently, share pictures, and voice my perspective on a startup community that is far by distance but ultimately shares the same goals (or so I assume). I’m fortunate to have so many friends and acquaintances around the globe who are helping to make this trip possible on short notice and at reasonable cost, and I can’t wait to get started at The Future of Web Apps London starting on Monday. Wish me luck!